Pakistan were humbled no ends on ‘Day 1’ of the opening Test match against England at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, with the latter smashing multiple records after opting to bat first.
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Quite renowned now for their famous ‘Bazball’ approach to Test Cricket under skipper-coach duo of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, England batters came up with their lethal best on Thursday, as they became the first team ever to surpass the 500-run mark on the scoreboard on ‘Day 1’ of a Test.
They pulled off the unprecedented by registering another record to their name – becoming the first team to have as many as four centurions on the first day of a Test match.
After the opening batting pair of Ben Duckett (107) and Zak Crawley (122) raced off to stitch together a 233-run stand off mere 36.4 Overs, there was no stopping for the rest of the batting line-up, which then knew how to approach the rest of the innings.
Barring Joe Root (23), each of Crawley, Duckett, Ollie Pope (108), and Harry Brook (101*) in the top-5 surpassed the three-figure mark, with Ben Stokes (34* off 15) too having stepped on the pitch in some aggressive mood.
ALSO READ: Harry Brook smashes 6 Fours in 6 balls off Saud Shakeel on Day 1.
At Stumps on ‘Day 1’, England had posted 506/4 on the board, in mere 75 Overs, after which the bad light made way for an early end to the day’s play.
Saqlain Mushtaq hilariously reacts to a question from journalist post ‘Day 1’ of the Test
While attending the press conference post the end of ‘Day 1’ of the Pakistan versus England Test match, Pakistan head coach Saqlain Mushtaq came up with a funny reply to a question from one of the journalists in the room.
Saqlain was asked to give his opinion on whether or not Pakistan will be able to produce a bowler of his quality in the future, considering the manner in which the Pakistan bowlers were tamed by the English batters throughout the day.
In reply, Saqlain, after hesitating a bit to answer a question unrelated to the day’s play exclaimed, “Hum to khatm ho chuke, hamara daur chala gaya aur ye best Pakistan ke available hain. Allah tallah inko bahut izzat de, ye Pakistan ko serve karein aur Pakistan ka naam raushan karein (We’re now finished, our good old days are over. These are the best (bowlers) Pakistan have at the moment. May God almighty bless them and hope they serve Pakistan Cricket in the future).”
As for the ongoing Test, Zahid Mahmood is the lone leg-spinner in the side, making his debut appearance for Pakistan in Tests.
Pakistan head coach Saqlain Mushtaq’s press conference at the end of the first day’s play in the Rawalpindi Test.#PAKvENG | #UKSePK https://t.co/q5aUQM33mF
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) December 1, 2022
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